Hurricane Harvey: nurses fly in to help stricken communities
Posted 01 September 2017 - 10:51
US disaster relief nurses flew in by helicopter to reach those caught up in the devastating floods of Hurricane Harvey.
The 27-strong crew of nurses from Tennessee and Kentucky was scrambled by healthcare provider HCA to bring medical help to stricken communities in Texas.
After flying into Dallas, the nurses embarked on a 15-hour journey to reach their destination, including a 4am bus ride and a failed attempt to use a boat.
The military then provided a Black Hawk helicopter, which got the nurses safely to Clear Lake Regional Hospital in the city of Webster.
'I wanted to help'
Among the team was nurse Allie Pillow, who told the Tennessean Newspaper: ‘Normally, I would have been petrified to get on a helicopter. But after spending nine hours on a bus, I wanted to be able to get to the hospital and help.
‘It was incredibly emotional going over the Texas landscape, to see the homes, and imagine what those families are going through.’
The nurses will spend the next fortnight at the hospital providing emergency support, using medical supplies donated to the American Red Cross.
Devastation
Hurricane Harvey is one of the worst storms to hit the region in decades, with winds reaching 130 miles per hour and almost 40 inches of rain in some parts of the state in just four days.
Hundreds of people have had to be evacuated or rescued, including residents and staff at the Cypress Glen nursing home in Port Arthur where teams of volunteers helped get everyone to safety.
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